Jodhpur: Achieving success becomes extremely tough when one is battling physical limitations. Three para swimmers from Rajasthan have made their weaknesses their greatest strengths and now wish to win the Olympics.
Despite their disabilities, the two women from Jodhpur district won several medals at the national and state levels and now got jobs. Following their footsteps, a young girl who became handicapped following a road accident in her childhood, has come forward to fulfill her dream of a swimmer.
Today, Puran is a clerk in the health department and got the job because of her national-level para swimming medal. She, however, has not left practising. The department has given her four hours a day for her practice. She contracted polio when she was three years old due to which one of her hands got damaged.
Her father, who worked as a labourer to raise his seven children, was diagnosed with cancer. Puran's family members suggested her to leave studies and work on the farm but she continued studying till class 12. After topping the exam she hoped to get Gargi Award but could not qualify since it was given only to the regular students.
Later, she took admission in college and received the Indira Gandhi Award in the first year of graduation. Her prize money was used in the household expenses. After graduation, she went to the Gaushala grounds to learn para swimming.
"When I met coach Shera Ram, he encouraged me and I started swimming. After a month, the state-level games took place in which I won three gold and silver medals. After this, national championship was held in Udaipur, where I won two gold and one silver medals. From 2017 till date, I have won more than 25 gold medals in state and national championships in athletics and swimming. I continued playing even after marriage in 2021. I got selected in a government job for my merit in sports. Now, preparations are on for the Para Olympics," she said.